Top 10 Barbecue Tips

To celebrate May being National Barbecue Month we wanted to share with you our top barbecue tips!

1. Marinate your meats! Marinades are a great way to add flavour to your barbecue. Place your meat in a plastic food bag and pour the marinade in, give the bag a good shake to evenly coat the meat before cooking.
   
2. Light your barbecue 15-25 minutes before your guests are due to arrive, that way your barbecue will be hot enough to begin cooking when they arrive. The barbecue is ready when the coal has white ash on it. If the barbecue is too hot it will just burn the outside and not thoroughly cook things.
    
3. Don’t forget about veg! Having a barbecue doesn’t have to mean that a balanced meal goes out the window. Veggies such as corn on the cob, peppers, sweet potatoes and asparagus to name a few, are beautiful barbecued.
   
4. Try mixing things up by barbecuing fish every once in a while instead of your usual burger.
    
5. Try adding wood chips to your barbecue to give your food a delicious smoky taste.
    
6. Sprinkle pineapple rings in sugar and cinnamon and grill on the barbecue, serve with ice cream for a delicious barbecued dessert!
   
7. Give cheese a go! Cheeses such as halloumi work brilliantly barbecued.
    
8. Remember that you don’t always have to cook everything on your barbecue. Use your oven to make delicious sides such as pastas and potatoes.
    
9. Grease your grill. To prevent your food from sticking give your grill a quick coating in vegetable oil before lighting the barbecue.
    
10. To avoid setting your kebab skewers alight when you grill them soak the stick in water first. This works if you’re making home-made kebabs or if you’re grilling shop bought ones. With your shop bought kebabs just dip the stick end in water, avoiding the meat and veg.
    

Don’t forget to stock up on your favourite The Bay Tree goodies to make your barbecue brilliant! Why not give our new sticky chinese barbecue sauce a try, it is delicious as a marinade for your meats or just as a sauce to dip your veggies in!